Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support apparatus for disassembling and assembling a gas turbine engine housing a low-pressure shaft, a low-pressure turbine and an exhaust nozzle inside a cylindrical casing surrounding an axis of the gas turbine engine, the low-pressure shaft being disposed on the axis, the low-pressure turbine being fixed to an outer periphery of the low-pressure shaft, and the exhaust nozzle being disposed in a rear of the low-pressure turbine.
Description of the Related Art
Published Japanese Translation No. 2006-524769 of PCT/DE2004/000655 has made publicly known a method in which: a gas turbine engine is carried into a first facility and cleaned in a horizontal attitude there; and after cleaned, the gas turbine engine is carried into a second facility and disassembled in the horizontal attitude there.
Meanwhile, a high-pressure turbine, a low-pressure turbine and an exhaust nozzle, through which a combustion gas produced by a combustor in a gas turbine engine passes, are disposed inside a cylindrical casing in this order from a front to a rear. The high-pressure turbine to be exposed to the combustion gas whose temperature is highest immediately after produced by the combustor needs to be inspected and replaced in a relatively short time. Detachment of the high-pressure turbine requires that the low-pressure turbine and the exhaust nozzle disposed in a rear of the high-pressure turbine be detached in advance.
In a case where the low-pressure turbine and the exhaust nozzle are detached while leaving the gas turbine engine in the horizontal attitude, gravity acts on the low-pressure turbine and the exhaust nozzle in a radial direction of the gas turbine engine so that it is difficult to pull out these components straightly in an axial direction of the gas turbine engine and therefore workability of disassembling work is lowered. Further, the components may be damaged due to their tilt or their interference with other components. Published Japanese Translation No. 2006-524769 of PCT/DE2004/000655 given above does not disclose concrete means for disassembling the gas turbine engine in the horizontal attitude.
When disassembling and assembling of the gas turbine engine were performed in a vertical attitude, the gravity acting on the low-pressure turbine and the exhaust nozzle is directed in the axial direction of the gas turbine engine. Accordingly, it is easy to attach and detach the components straightly in the axial direction of the gas turbine engine, and the workability is improved. However, when the aircraft gas turbine engine is disassembled and assembled while being installed in an airframe in order to reduce maintenance time and maintenance cost, it is impossible to employ the method in which the disassembling and assembling are performed in the gas turbine engine in the vertical attitude.